General note:
This collection was created by the RCMP Archives Management Section for an exhibit on the work of Edward Foster, which was displayed from 1995-11-16 to 1996-05-22 in the RCMP Headquarters and Identification Services Buildings. It was also on display for the RCMP Townhall meeting held at the R.A. Centre, Ottawa. The exhibit was titled "The RCMP Archives salutes Edward Foster - Canada's Fingerprint Pioneer". The records were assembled from holdings of the RCMP which dealt with the career of Edward Foster or the development of the identification of individuals using fingerprints.
This accession includes photographs relating to Edward Foster, particularly as his interests and professional activities concerned the development and use of fingerprinting in the RCMP; the identification and fingerprinting operations of the RCMP from the early 1920s to the early 1970s, including a number of portraits of individuals responsible for or important to those operations (from chiefs to technicians); the reception held in Ottawa, Ont., 16 February 1961, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the National Fingerprint Bureau; materials relating to exhibitions in 1961 and 1995 concerning the RCMP's fingerprinting activities.
Some of the photos in this accession can also be found in the collection of RCMP Public Information photographs acquired by the National Archives in 1996, and accessioned by the Visual and Sound Archives Division as photography accession 1996-400.
The majority of the photographs are not identified; those that are, however, often provide sufficient information to at least contextualize those which are not.
The pencil sketch is of Edward Foster, and is signed W.H.E. McMillan. The frame in which it was originally received at LAC had the following note on back: "To the Fingerprint Bureau July 29 1977 Many Thanks Don Humphrey".
Physical description note:
Graphic (photo): There are a number of duplicate images in this accession, which may arise from the presence of both negative and positive forms of the same image, or through two or more copies of the image being found as one form (i.e. as print or transparency).
Note on the state of conservation:
Textual records: The scrapbook is in poor condition and should be conserved if retained permanently. However, the RCMP made a photographic copy and a microfilm copy which they sent with the same accession., Graphic (photo): All colour items show colour shifting.
Original extent note:
1 m of textual records and other material (Note: scrapbook, photographic copy of scrapbook, microfilm copy of scrapbook, 6 colour transparencies, 13 colour prints, 24 black and white negatives, 140 black and white prints, other material including scrapbooks, poster and pencil sketch).
Exhibitions note:
Exhibition Title: 125th Anniversary of the RCMP. Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ottawa, Ontario; 1998.10.19 - 1998.12.08 (1. POE 26-213: 100 b/w prints - 14 b/w 4x5 negatives - 8 b/w 35mm negatives - 2. RG 18 - 1997-98/386: 22 b/w prints - 11 b/w 4x5 negatives)
